Hospital administrator named
By Melinda L. Lucas
During the first five minutes of a special called Sunday evening meeting of the Shackelford County Hospital District’s board of directors, Albany native Brandi Green was selected as the district’s new administrator.
Green was one of seven applicants for the position, which has been vacant since Jera Fairley left in June 2021. She has been the office manager at the district’s health clinic for several years and had assumed many of the administrator’s duties after Fairley’s departure.
John Peterson made the motion to offer Green the position, with a 90-day trial period and a job description provided. Mike Folsom seconded with no discussion and no opposition.
EMS Director
The remainder of the hour-long meeting, held in open session, was basically an interview with Mateo Millan, a paramedic who is an employee of the local ambulance crew, about possibly taking over for EMS director Tina Ulbrich.
Ulbrich gave notice on March 21 that she had taken another job. Her last day in Albany is today (March 31).
Millan stated that he wants to remain “on the truck” and active as a paramedic, so the job description for the director would have to change in order to allow that.
“My understanding is that the Labor Board does not permit the director to be on the ambulance schedule,” said board member Janna Ledbetter. “They can ride along or fill in when no one else is available, but their main job is to be director.”
Ledbetter and board president Jo Ann Estridge both planned to check the legalities of what an EMS supervisor can and can’t do in the work environment and report back to the board.
Another special meeting may be scheduled.
District secretary Regina Whitt, who will soon be on medical leave for several weeks, reminded the directors that they must notify the state that Ulbrich is leaving and get an interim director in place.
When asked, Millan said that he would not serve as interim supervisor “if it takes me off the truck.”
He agreed to work with Ulbrich during her last few days and possibly come up with some options, and as Peterson requested, “drill down on the absolute necessities of the job description.”
